Eat to Beat Cancer -- Even on Thanksgiving

The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is a great resource for healthy recipes that follow guidelines they've developed for reducing cancer risk. They offer several recipes for nutritious Thanksgiving dishes in addition to the following one for pumpkin pie. Their web site has helpful information about reducing cancer risk and recurrence through lifestyle.

Thanksgiving Recipes
Recipes for Perfect Leftovers

Mom's Pumpkin Pie - From The New American Plate Cookbook
Canola oil spray
2 cups canned pumpkin
Dough for whole-wheat pie crust*
1 1/2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, divided
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated fat-free milk
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 or 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lightly coat the inside of a large, nonstick skillet or saucepan with canola oil spray. Add the pumpkin and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon, about 5-10 minutes. Transfer the pumpkin to a blender or food processor and let it cool slightly.
Set a baking rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Meanwhile, roll out the dough. On a sheet of waxed paper, press the dough into a flattened disk. Cover the dough with another sheet of waxed paper and, using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle. Remove the top sheet of waxed paper and lift the bottom sheet to invert the dough over a 9-inch pie plate. Remove the waxed paper and gently press the dough down against the sides and bottom of the plate, pressing out any air bubbles. Crimp the edges by pinching between your thumb and forefinger.
In a small bowl, combine the flour with 1/4 teaspoon of the nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Sprinkle the flour and spice mixture evenly over the bottom of the pie crust and set it aside. Chill prepared crust while preparing filling.
Gradually turn the blender or food processor to the highest speed and purée the pumpkin. Stop the motor and scrape down sides of the blender or processor with a rubber spatula. At medium speed, gradually add first the milk, then the sugar, then the eggs, blending only until each addition is incorporated into the mixture. Add the salt, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the allspice, and vanilla extract and blend just until combined. Do not overmix. Pour the filling into the pie crust, scraping down the sides of the blender or processor with a rubber spatula.
Bake the pie for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 325 degrees and bake about 45 minutes more, until the filling looks set and a thin knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out almost clean. If the rim of the pie crust browns before the filling is set, cover it loosely with strips of foil.
Cool the pie on a wire rack before serving.

*Whole-Wheat Pie Crust
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1/8 tsp. of salt
1 Tbsp. butter, chilled
3 Tbsp. canola oil
1-2 Tbsp. ice water or cold apple juice
In a food processor, combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. (The dough can also be made by hand. In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients with a spoon, then use a fork or pastry blender to mix in the remaining ingredients.) Add the butter and canola oil. Pulse again until the ingredients are well combined and the mixture resembles crumbs. With the food processor running, add the ice water, beginning with 1 tablespoon and adding more, one teaspoon at a time, until the dough starts to come together. Gather the dough into a ball and let it rest for a few minutes.Makes 10 servings.
Per serving: 194 calories, 7 g. total fat (1 g. saturated fat), 29 g. carbohydrates, 6 g. protein, 2 g. dietary fiber, 158 mg. sodium.

A happy -- and healthy -- Thanksgiving to all.

Understanding Breast Cancer Risk

All women are at risk for breast cancer -- and most of us think our risk is higher than it actually is.

The commonly cited statistic – that women have a 1 in 8 lifetime risk of breast cancer – is a bit misleading because 1 in 8 women in the United States do not actually get breast cancer. The 1 in 8 number is an estimate of lifetime risk. A woman with average risk has a 1 in 8 chance of getting breast cancer sometime during her life if she lives to be 90. Some women are less likely to get breast cancer, and some have a greater risk. Some will not live to be 90.

A more meaningful way to look at risk is the chance of getting breast cancer during each decade of life. A woman in her twenties has a 1 in 1,837 (0.05%) risk of getting breast cancer, and her risk increases as she ages to a maximum in her seventies of 1 in 26 (3.88%). If you add up the percentages for each decade, you get 13% lifetime risk (1 in 8). During no ten-year period during her lifetime, though, does a woman face a risk of getting breast cancer as high as 1 in 8.

Of course, some women are at greater risk of developing breast cancer. And they, too, overestimate their risk for getting this disease.

Women with a faulty breast cancer gene are said to have “up to” an 85% lifetime risk of getting breast cancer, but according to the National Cancer Institute, the risk ranges from 36% to 87%. As with women who have an average risk, their chance of getting breast cancer increases as they age. (The exception to this is women with close relatives who got breast cancer when they were young.)

Others with a higher than average risk for breast cancer are women diagnosed with precancerous conditions like lobular carcinoma in situ or atypical hyperplasia. Women who have had breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ, a noninvasive cancer, are also at increased risk.
It should be noted that many women who are high risk will never get breast cancer. No one knows why they don’t or why some women get breast cancer even though they have no risk factors. The interplay of genetic make-up, age, reproductive history, environmental exposures, and lifestyle determines whether or not we develop breast cancer.

But those of us who are high risk can’t help feeling we’re destined to get breast cancer. Some choose overly aggressive treatment because they can’t live with the possibility that they might get this disease. They get bilateral mastectomies, reducing their risk by 90%. In some cases, this surgery is more drastic treatment than is necessary, and it does not guarantee they will never get breast cancer.

Women do it to ease their fears. Being high risk for breast cancer is more frightening than it should be because of misperceptions about the level of risk for the average woman.

Putting Breast Cancer Awareness To Work

October was the month to raise our awareness about breast cancer – as if we weren’t aware enough. We bought all sorts of pink products so that money would go for breast cancer research, and maybe we were reminded to schedule a mammogram. But there's more we can do to fight breast cancer. We can make changes in our lifestyle to lower our risk for this disease.

It may seem inconceivable that healthy living could protect anyone from breast cancer, but scientists have done hundreds of studies that demonstrate a link between certain behaviors and breast cancer risk. They don’t know which of us can hope to stop this dreaded disease, but we don’t need to wait for all the answers to use what they’ve learned about reducing breast cancer risk and recurrence:

• Eat wisely. Base your diet on vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Limit fats, sugar and anything made with white flour.
• Get moving! Moderate physical activity is enough to reduce breast cancer risk and recurrence. It can be as simple as brisk fifteen-minute walks twice a day, but any amount of exercise helps.
• Keep your weight under control. Eat moderate portions of healthy foods and exercise regularly to keep weight down.
• Limit alcohol consumption to one drink per day -- less is better.
• Breastfeed for six months or more, if possible.
• Avoid hormone replacement therapy. The hormones in these pills are known to fuel the growth of some types of breast tumors.
• Guard your environment. Avoid exposure to chemicals like pesticides and some ingredients in cosmetics and toiletries that might play a role in increasing breast cancer risk.
• Control stress. It dampens your immune system, and there's nothing like stress to make you eat and drink more than you should.
• Don't smoke. And avoid second-hand smoke.
• Get regular mammograms and breast exams. Treatment is more likely to be successful when breast cancer is caught early.

Of course, some women do everything possible to reduce breast cancer risk and still get breast cancer. But there are some of us who might be able to stop this disease.